


He, the Inspiration

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beginnings of Darkpilot, Comic Book Writer Ben Solo, Dog BB-9E, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Phux, a bit of metafiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-04 20:36:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21203720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Poe gets to know Ben a little better after their meet ugly in a haunted house. They become more than friends.





	He, the Inspiration

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Punching the fear out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21188684) by [MidgardianNerd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidgardianNerd/pseuds/MidgardianNerd). 

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: For MidgardianNerd, who needed it. Also, figured I’d skip ahead a month, if that’s okay. Also, I wasn’t on my A-game when I wrote this. Hope it doesn’t suck.

November rolled around, and they’d become friends since the incident where Poe accidentally bloodied Ben’s nose. Even looking back on it, Ben had to only assume that he was incredibly fortunate. Phasma and Hux were good friends, but they had their own lives ever since Hux had finally gotten the courage to ask her out. Poe...he wasn’t just gorgeous (to the point that the fact that someone so striking was actually giving him the time of day was a miracle), but funny. Compassionate to the point Ben was awed. Loyal. Close to his dog BB (and Ben had actually met the little bundle of joy himself when he occasionally visited Poe). It was one of those instances where Ben wondered — but then again, maybe he was wallowing in self-pity again. That was then, this was now. He had to focus on the now. That...that was what mattered most.

***

”I didn’t know that you wrote.”

Ben shrugged. “It’s mostly comics. It’s not much.”

They sat comfortably in Ben’s home — his home where his dog Niney was curled up at his feet even as they chatted. There was something about Ben’s house that felt comfortable, almost like Poe had known him for years.

”Still,” Poe said. “That’s pretty amazing. I mean, if I knew that I had punched the next Stan Lee in the face by mistake...”

Ben smiled. “You’re sweet,” he said, “But I could never be that good. Really.”

”You never know until you show me.” Poe said lightly. 

Ben nodded. “Well,” he said, “I can text you a script. Dropbox is a pain in the ass, but it’s worth a shot.”

”Yeah.” Poe smiled as he spoke. “How old are you, if I might ask?”

”Twenty-four. Just out of college. Thank God. I mean, I’ve been working to pay for this thing,” Ben gestured across the interior of his house as he spoke, “And I’ve been doing the comics thing as a side-hobby. I’m hoping to get them published one day.”

”What are they about?” Poe said. 

Even as Ben told him about the adventures of the scavenger Kira and her opponent, Kylo Ren, Poe couldn’t help but listen to him describe it. Somehow, he could listen to Ben talk about his characters, about what they had to offer, just about all day. 

***

The more Ben talked to Poe, the further he swore that he was falling in love with him. It was an odd thing; he hadn’t thought that he would actually fall in love quite like that and yet here he was, falling hard. Even as he wrote his comic script, he couldn’t help but start thinking about Poe, everything he knew about him and everything he wanted to know about him. He hadn’t expected to have traces of Poe drop into the character of John the pilot, but...he supposed it happened. And it was working on the comic script for _The Last Jedi _that he realized something. The poetic (no pun intended) descriptions of John were a tip-off. Then there was the fact that John was starting to look a lot like Poe. There was him defending Poe at work when someone made a snide remark about him. There was the fact that even thinking about Poe left him feeling pleasantly dizzy, giddy. He was in love with Poe ever since Poe had accidentally punched him at that haunted house attraction, and he didn’t know if he ever wanted to resurface.

Did he tell Poe the truth? Was Poe even remotely interested? That was the question. He could still remember, of course, the way Poe had looked at him when he had played that hammer game that had ultimately won Poe his plush toy. Like he was...admiring him, somehow. And the way he looked at Ben in amazement, even though, bloody nose aside, Ben was no beauty.

Telling Poe the truth...would Poe accept it? Did he even like Ben that way? Did he feel even a fraction of the powerful feelings that Ben felt for him?

***

He sent Poe the draft for the recent comic script when he finished it because putting it off for too long would hurt Poe’s feelings — and somehow, Ben thought, he didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about hurting Poe. Poe seemed too wonderful to be hurt that way. (Hux had also made a sarcastic comment about them “stinking up the room with sexual tension every time Poe’s over”, which might, might, might have subconsciously influenced Ben?)

Poe came over again. Ben couldn’t help but be surprised at that. Even as he coaxed Niney not to get hair all over Poe, he found that Poe looked a bit more...serious than usual? Shit. He had crossed a line. It wasn’t even like his descriptions of John the pilot were subtle. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Ben said, even as he led Poe in. “Is this your way of breaking things to me gently?”

Poe smiled. “Ben...I wouldn’t do this to you.” Then, “I read your script. It’s pretty solid, but I was wondering...was John supposed to be me?”

”He had some influences from you,” Ben said. “You’re a good man. One of the best. And...I was wondering if it was possible you saw me the way I see you.”

”How so?”

”You’re a beautiful, caring, wonderful man and...I swear the more I’ve gotten to know you, the more I’m drawn to you.”

He almost expected Poe to leave. He wouldn’t blame Poe if he left. Instead, Poe’s face brightened. “Of course I do,” he said. “I think I might have fallen in love with you ever since I saw who exactly it was I punched in that house.”

Ben laughed. Then, softer, “If we were more than friends...”

”How were we not already?”

Ben hugged him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. To think that the man that had become like his muse loved him in turn...how wonderful. He could only hope, even as he broke away from this brilliant, beautiful human, that he wouldn’t screw it up.


End file.
